The Price of Greatness
"The Price of Greatness" is the 19th episode of Falling Skies and the ninth episode of the second season. It was written Consulting Producer Mark Verheiden and helmed by new director Adam Kane. Plot Synopsis The 2nd Mass arrives in Charleston where Tom comes across his former mentor and professor Arthur Manchester. Their arrival brings existing tensions to show and the situation escalates fast. Plot The episode resumes after Colonel Porter greets the 2nd Mass when they find the ruins of Charleston, South Carolina. He leads them into an abandoned shopping mall and explains to the 2nd Mass that the reason why they were never attacked was due to the Overlords believing they were dead. Porter also requests that Tom should tell him more about his meeting with the Overlord. Bringing them into a large basement, the 2nd Mass gazes at a large atrium with a buffet table and people everywhere. Despite of their disbelief, Porter offers them to come. As they walk down a broken escalator, the remaining survivors applaud their arrival. Tom offers his hand to Anne and they walk to the food. Jeanne greets Weaver and he embraces her. Tector and Weaver greet After a meal, Tom is greeted by his mentor and professor Arthur Manchester. After introducing himself to Tom and Anne, he and Tom talk to each other and recollect on what happened after the invasion. Arthur gives Tom a book that he wrote himself and announces that he wants to lead the new government in Charleston and invites Tom's support. Shortly afterward, a minor riot breaks out due to the Continental Army requesting that the 2nd Mass is to forfeit their weapons. The members of the 2nd Mass cry out in protest until Tom and Weaver command them to give their weapons away. Elsewhere, Anne goes to the infirmary where she and Lourdes reminisce on the medicinal capacity that the doctors have there. Despite of her willingness to help the patients, she is turned down because she was trained as a pediatrician. She reports to Tom that the people seem too comfortable in Charleston. Jeanne and Weaver reconcile and Weaver asks her where Diego and the rest of her friend are. Jeanne explains that she and Diego were separated when they were attacked by a Mech squad and she wants to find them. After this Jeanne says to Weaver that she plans on speaking at the meeting organized by Manchester. Other Cast Co-Starring * Brad Kelly as Lyle * Brad Dryborough as Doctor * Cainan Wiebe as Marshall Uncredited * Jon Johnson as Jon * D Harlan Cutshall as Butterfield * Nico Amoroso as Nico * Zack Daniels as Zack * Danny Wattley as Ox * Aaron Harrison as Jimmy Vegas * Unknown as Beeman * Unknown as Riley * Unknown as Thomas * Unknown as Melvlle Significant Events *Colonel Jim Porter leads the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment into an underground shopping mall where the survivors of the attack that destroyed Charleston have formed a community. The 2nd Mass are greeted as heroes by the population. The community is led by Tom's old history professor Arthur Manchester who is the Majority Leader of the New United States. *Captain Daniel Weaver, Tom and Tector, now going by his old rank of Gunnery Sergeant meet with General Cole Bressler and share intelligence on the Espheni movements. However, Bressler is uninterested as Manchester has them in a holding pattern and launching no attacks on the enemy. *The 2nd Mass is split up and disarmed of their weapons, causing some tension before Weaver and Porter diffuse it. *Despite the seemingly idyllic nature of Charleston, problems begin to emerge. Doctor Anne Glass is assigned to work as a pediatrician and given no respect despite being the 2nd Mass' combat medic for a year, Matt Mason gets into a fight in school and is suspended after a kid accuses the 2nd Mass of being cowards and Tom of being a collaborator and Hal is assigned to run weapons drills with soldiers who have never fired a shot in their life. It quickly becomes clear that Charleston has become complacent and care more about rebuilding a society and hoping that the aliens ignore them than fighting back. *Since his return, John Pope has resumed command of the Berserkers and plots with Lyle and Crazy Lee to rob the Charleston armory. Their plan is thwarted by Maggie which results in all of their arrests and Lyle being shot by Tector, now a Gunnery Sergeant in the 1st Continental Army. Weaver has also joined the army as a Captain. *Tom meets with Manchester about the Skitter Rebellion, but Manchester is more focused on rebuilding society and staying hidden. He refuses to consider meeting with the Rebel Skitters and is more worried about an upcoming vote on his leadership which he asks for Tom's support with. *Weaver finds his daughter Jeanne who reveals that a few days after they last met, Diego's Group was attacked by Skitters and she was separated from them. Jeanne doesn't know what happened to her friends and expresses discontent that Manchester refuses to even search. *At the vote, Jeanne expresses her discontent with the situation and is followed by Tom who urges the people to fight instead of continuing to hide. Tom quotes Manchester's own book on the American Revolution about why they should fight back. *The vote is interrupted by news of a de-harnessed kid, Marshall, looking for Tom. Marshall reveals that Red Eye wishes to meet with Tom and there has been a major development in events. However, a panicked Manchester orders Marshall locked up and chooses to play dead and hope they are passed over, once again taking the coward's way out. *Having learned of the situation with Ben during the conversation with Marshall, Manchester's paranoia about Tom reaches new levels and he attempts to question Pope about the rumors surrounding Tom's dealings with the Espheni. Pope refuses to talk however. *Through the episode, Hal continues to experience relationship troubles with Maggie following her revelation of her past. After Manchester refuses to meet with the Rebel Skitters, Hal and Dai break Maggie and Marshall out. Hal tells Maggie he feels that they are not the same people they once were and he accepts her as she is. *With the help of Porter, fighters from the 2nd Mass, including Tom, Hal, Weaver and Dai prepare to go to meet Red Eye. However, they are captured by Bressler on the orders of Manchester who has declared a state of emergency and ordered the 2nd Mass locked up after learning of Tom's meeting with the Overlord and his being infected by an Eye Worm. While initially standing with Bressler, Tector chooses to rejoin the 2nd Mass. *Bressler later releases Tom's group and arrests Manchester in a military coup. Bressler tells an upset Tom he can meet with the Rebel Skitters. Trivia *"The Price of Greatness" is likely a reference to a speech given by Winston Churchill in 1943. The full title of the speech is "The Price of Greatness is Responsibility". This is interesting because it was Avery Churchill who told them about Charleston. *During the speeches 400 extras were used for the audience, this was the largest amount of extras used in the series.Falling Skies app, The Price of Greatness *Weaver continues to walk with a limp from his harness bite in Young Bloods. This is noted by his daughter. Sources Category:Season 2 Category:Season 2 Episode Category:Episodes